Looking for a Good APA Format Dissertation Example

APA is the acronym that stands for the American Psychological Association. The main difference in APA vs. other formatting styles is the way that the references are cited. For students who have never written in this style before, it can be a little bit daunting to learn all of the rules. Although any class professor could require that a dissertation is done in APA style, it is the accepted standard of practice for both social science and psychology classes.

When you begin the search for good examples of dissertations that are written in the APA style, simply searching with the keywords "APA format dissertation example" will return you plenty of results to choose from. However, so that the examples that you find are as relevant to you as possible, trying adding in keywords that are a little bit more specific to your personal dissertation.

Where to find examples online

• Academic journals in the psychological or social sciences fields often have archived dissertations that have been published in the magazine. This may actually be your best bet for studying exactly how the APA format is done. When looking, pay careful attention to how the references are cited, including spacing, font, and language used.
• If there is a certain scholar in your chosen field whom you admire, do a search for the dissertation that they wrote while in school. Even if they did not attend the same educational institution as you are, how their dissertation was written may well be just what you are looking for.
• University websites are also a great place to look for examples. The library archives will have plenty of papers to check, especially if you look for those which were written by students in the psychology department. The best part about this is that they are normally among the best that have been written in the history of the school so you know that they have been done properly.
• Writer's forums can also be a helpful place to check. There are a variety of online forums that specialize in APA, so not only will you be able to find examples, you can also ask questions and get advice.

If for whatever reason you have not been able to find an example that you feel comfortable following, talk to one of your professors or academic advisors. They will be able to point you in the right direction of dissertation examples that are on topic, properly formatted in the APA style, and that have obtained high marks.